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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26652886">A Most Dangerous World</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlmaArachnidFriendEmpress/pseuds/AlmaArachnidFriendEmpress'>AlmaArachnidFriendEmpress</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Dark, Dark Fantasy, Grimdark, Human minority, Monsters, Multi, Nonhuman Characters, Wizarding World (Harry Potter)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:22:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,120</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26652886</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlmaArachnidFriendEmpress/pseuds/AlmaArachnidFriendEmpress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Earth is a most dangerous world - more dangerous than any modern human could imagine. A world of monsters and horrors, kept at bay by ancient wards around modern areas and cities: keeping them in blissful ignorance. But one Harry Potter, even as a boy, would brave it all to escape his abusive relatives, as well as to find his true place in the world - along with true friends.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Most Dangerous World</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eleven year old Harry Potter entered the castle with the other kids from the train.</p><p>The sight that met Harry in the entrance hall was shocking, but fantastic and wonderful.</p><p>It was like Ron had said: the train was for <em>human</em> mages to get to Hogwarts. Nonhumans had other ways to get here - and apparently had gotten here before the humans had, in their own ways.</p><p>Harry saw centaurs and elves, harpies, banshees, mermaids, dwarves, goblins, naga, fairies, huge green orcs, minotaurs, a sphinx, and even a true giant and a few dragons (though, they were considerably smaller than most depictions Harry knew of them from; hardly bigger than a car). There were unicorns and griffins and pegasi and giant serpents and arachnids. There were twin, strange, gorgeous five tailed leopard-like beings (zheng, he would later learn). And there were other things Harry didn't know, like a floating cloaked being in tatters with a big loose hood to hide their face. There was also what looked to be an outright demon standing in their midst - a girl with red skin, horns, wings, a long whip-like tail with an arrowhead on its tip.</p><p>There were definitely a lot more of them in the hall than there were <em>human</em> students; Harry thought the ratio had to be something like two-thirds nonhuman, one-third human.</p><p>It had been the same during Harry's trip a few weeks ago to Diagon Alley.</p><p>"What do we have to do to get sorted?" Harry asked Ron.</p><p>"Well, Fred and George said we have to fight a troll."</p><p>"A troll?"</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>"Like a person, like..." Harry used his eyes to indicate all the nonhumans.</p><p>"Oh, no! Trolls are dumb animals, like what apes or monkeys are to humans."</p><p>"Oh." That made it worse.</p>
<hr/><p>"You will kill your troll, the test will end, and you will be considered to have passed it. On the other hand, if you are knocked unconscious, or if you leave the warded arena, you will leave this school and forfeit your place in it. Our world is a highly dangerous place, and if you cannot prove you have what it takes to last in it, you're better off leaving with life and limb relatively intact. Anyone wishing to leave now, speak up and we will send you home with no shame or issue. But if you do pass, if you solidify your permanent place in this school, know that your years ahead will be just as hard and intense as your first evening here - for we are preparing you here for the most dangerous life of a mage in our world beyond these walls. And beyond any protection the muggle areas and cities offer you, behind the most ancient, most powerful enchantments and barriers of protection and concealment known to our kind as those places are. Spells long since lost to us in the modern era."</p><p>"To live in our world is to walk out into the true wild of the world, with no walls or barriers to hide behind anymore. If that is not for you, if you think you cannot make it through this school, you may leave and return home to safety and peace. We will not judge you. In fact, we'd think you smarter than the rest of us," the witch added, with the tiniest twitch to her lips.</p><p>"Innocent and carefree children you may be now, if you pass the initiation test and desire to stay, we will be treating you as young adults, not mere children anymore. It will be rough, dangerous, downright brutal, and you will get little real safety. Your professors will not intervene in hazardous situations like we will tonight. There will be no limits, no barriers, no timeouts or stepping in. Like tonight in the arena, here at Hogwarts you will find a way to survive and succeed on your own. Injury and death will occur, and we will not try to shield you from it. Because the world will not afford you that mercy either. You will need wit, diligence, courage, and innovation and creativity if you want to last even a day out there...and in here."</p><p>"Even though Hogwarts is the most heavily fortified, modern magical location in this world, it is still leagues below the protection charms around the muggle areas - the same is true for the village of Hogsmeade, which you arrived at via the train. The protection may fail, they might be breached, something or someone might sneak in. Hogsmeade has been subject to attacks in the past, and it will again. Do not fool yourself into believing you are perfectly safe, even within these walls! Because you <em>will not be</em>!"</p><p>After such a terrifying, entirely serious speech as that, more than a few people said they wanted to leave outright - mostly human kids, Harry noticed. But a few nonhumans seemed to have reconsidered too.</p><p>The stern witch just nodded, and told them to go through a side door off the entrance hall and wait there.</p><p>She asked once more who wanted to leave. Three more potential students disappeared into the side room.</p><p>The witch gaze over them all ominously.</p><p>"Anyone else?" She spoke crisply. "When I say that your place in this school will be permanent, I meant it literally: after you've passed your test, and so evidently decided you wish to stay at this school and live in this world, <em>such placement will be permanent</em>! You will not be allowed to bow out afterward. There will be no changing of mind, not then. You will be committed, and you <em>will</em> see it through to the end of the seven years you're legally marked down for! If, after you've survived your seven years, you wish to leave it all behind, then of course that will be allowed - but not before then. So then, I ask you all again: who wishes to leave before we walk into the Great Hall?"</p><p>Two more students quickly abandoned the crowd.</p><p>Utter silence. Staring. Shifting.</p><p>"Very well. Let's begin."</p><p>It was time, Harry gulped. Time to see who would stay or leave in the arena performance - the one last chance to leave voluntarily, before you locked yourself in to seven years here.</p><p>Harry wouldn't lie to himself and pretend he wasn't terrified, and doubtful, and anxious - he was all those things in spades. But he also still clung to the burning belief in his chest that said that <em>anything</em> was better than going back to the Dursleys. Even this dangerous magical course of education and castle he'd be living in for it. Because this was still his world, still his parent's world, and it was still wonderful, the people in it were wonderful, and Harry told himself that was enough reason to succeed. To make it through the trials and terrors awaiting him unknown.</p><p>Harry <em>had to succeed</em>! He was determined to!</p><p>He'd prove he was a good enough mage, a strong enough wizard - that he had what it took to be here!</p><p>"Ron!" Harry hissed, nudging the boy as the crowd began to move. "Ron, can you teach me a spell or two? Just - something, anything? Even one good one?"</p><p>Ron startled, eyeing him sympathetically. "Erm, sure - but I doubt you'd be able to pull it off in time."</p><p>"How are we supposed to kill a troll without getting killed ourselves?" Harry said hopelessly. "I mean, if I get squashed or torn apart in there in the first two seconds..."</p><p>"Well, it wouldn't <em>quite</em> be like that - mages are all a lot more durable than muggles," Ron replied quickly. "We wouldn't last half as long as we do out there - even with training and spells on our side - if we weren't. And you heard the Professor: they'll step in to stop you from getting killed. At least this time."</p><p>"I'd rather take my chances with a spell, please," Harry insisted.</p><p>"Alright, alright! Well, there's one good one I'm planning on using: the Blasting Curse. It, you know, blows things up. I figure a few of those aimed at the troll's ankles will bring it down pretty good - and pretty quick. Ankles are the thinnest parts on the body, besides the wrists, you see? Real good weak spots to target with your magic. Even if trolls are magically resistant themselves."</p><p>"Go for the ankles?" Harry nodded. "Ok! What's the spell - the incantation?"</p><p>"Bombarda," Ron answered swiftly. "It's nothing fancy as far as wand motion goes: it's a combat spell, see? You're meant to just...jab. Like this, see?"</p><p>Harry gave another quick nod, mimicking the motion with his own wand. "Bombar-"</p><p>"Oi!" Ron yelled, grabbing his wrist and forcing his wand skyward. "Don't just go doing that while it's pointed at someone! I'm pretty sure they only allow students to get killed by accidents and monsters, not by each other. You'd go to Azkaban for that, and trust me, you never want to go there."</p><p>"Azkaban?"</p><p>"Mage prison. With our powers, we can't afford to screw around with criminals. Trust me - just don't ask any more about it."</p><p>"Alright." Harry smiled with relief. "Thanks, Ron."</p><p>"No problem." Ron shrugged, but smiled back all the same. "Hey, if we both make it through, I'd love to keep being your friend."</p><p>"I'd- love that too," Harry replied, awkward, face heating up. But inside, he was rather pleased; nobody had ever said something so wonderful to him before.</p><p>They were led into the Great Hall; there were two long tables on each side of it, and another long table at the front of the hall. In the center of the hall was a shimmering magical dome - a barrier. Inside that barrier, a monster was slumped on the stone floor, either asleep or unconscious. It was easily twelve feet tall, massive and muscular, with a pig snout nose and rounded ears. There was a massive wooden club the size of a tree trunk in its hand held loosely.</p><p>The students were taken up to the front, uncomfortably close to the magical arena.</p><p>"Thank you for bringing the first years safely to our walls, Professor McGonagall," spoke an old wizard with a long white beard and half-moon spectacles. Harry recognized him from the chocolate frog cards - it was Albus Dumbledore! Dumbledore had risen from his chair, given the stern witch a nod, which she returned. Then, Dumbledore was sweeping his gaze over the students. "Delightful!" he said, voice carrying easily. "We've not had so many new arrivals in quite a few years now, I think. This is very promising. Of course, just quite <em>how</em> promising is yet to be determined."</p><p>Dumbledore took his seat again.</p><p>Professor McGonagall eyed the students with a much harder expression than the Headmaster. She'd drawn out a long scroll from her robes. "This is how this will work: I will call you up by your last names, in alphabetical order, and you will enter the arena and begin your test. Our professors are on standby for you - but they will only keep you from certain death, nothing more." She gave several other mages around the arena a few brief nods. "Now then, let's begin - Abbott, Hannah!"</p><p>An anxious little girl with blonde pigtails squealed, clutching her wand in hand as she stumbled forward on shaky legs.</p><p>Professor McGonagall put a hand on the girl's arm on edge of the arena, bent low to her ear. "Simply give your best attempt, and worry about nothing else," she spoke, almost kindly.</p><p>Hannah nodded, her anxious face setting with something like resolve. She drew a big breath, and then stepped through the barrier.</p><p>The moment she had, a bell chimed somewhere, and then the troll was suddenly stirring.</p><p>Rising up, great and monstrous.</p><p>That massive club dragging on the floor.</p><p>The troll's eyes fell right on Hannah, and narrowed. Its lips curled into a fearsome snarl. It took a step forward.</p><p>Hannah flinched and stepped back, letting out a whimper. Any resolve she might've summoned up to step into the arena had fled her now.</p><p>The troll's snarl twisted into something like a playful grin, and then it roared, and charged.</p><p>It was faster than Harry could have ever imagined!</p><p>The troll was towering over Hannah in a second, a large, ugly hand swiping for her.</p><p>Hannah screamed and threw her arms up; the back of the troll's hand batted her aside viciously. She rolled on the stone and struck the inside of the barrier. Her head whipped up, and her palm slapped to the barrier. Wide eyes stared out with terror and confusion alike.</p><p>"If you truly desire to leave, it will let you pass," Professor McGonagall called out calmly. "But if you wish for your place at this school-"</p><p>The troll was raging, grabbing Hannah by her legs and lifting her up! It whirled and slammed Hannah face-first into the stone floor with a loud, meaty SMACK!</p><p>Harry thought the girl should've been dead from that, right then and there - but then he remembered Ron's words not minutes ago. Mages were naturally made of sterner stuff than muggles.</p><p>Still, when Hannah twisted around and shook her head in a daze, Harry saw blood oozing from her nose, and a big bruise already appearing on her left cheek.</p><p>But, Harry thought fairly, he supposed it was far better than being dead.</p><p>It seemed the girl's own not-dead status from that kind of thrashing had roused her mind - and spirit - because next moment her split lip had set, and she shoved her trembling wand at the troll's arm and yelled out a spell to the hall: "Paralysumma!"</p><p>The troll's arm shot through with yellow energy, racing through veins and muscles. And then the arm just went slack; those great fingers released Hannah completely.</p><p>The girl rolled and jumped to her feet, aiming her wand as the troll roared and swung its club around for her now - its free arm was still dangling uselessly at its side!</p><p>"STUPIFY!" She screamed. A red light exploded from her wand and struck the troll in the side.</p><p>The club struck Hannah in <em>her</em> side a heartbeat later; she flew the other way and hit the barrier, slid down it and landed awkwardly on a leg with a cry.</p><p>The troll was on her immediately, swinging the club down for her from above!</p><p>Hannah threw herself aside, desperate to get out of the way - but she didn't manage it. Not entirely. A loud shriek rang out as that massive club came down on her leg.</p><p>The troll readied its club again, grinning down at her in victory.</p><p>Hannah's pale, agonized face gazed up in terror. Then suddenly her eyes fluttered, and she glanced down at her hand as if she'd just remembered she still had her wand. She brought it up again, grinning right back at the troll. Her wand wasn't aimed at its torso this time - but at one of its feet. No, the ankle!</p><p>"Bombarda!"</p><p>The spell was a massive blast of purple that hit the troll and sent it crashing backwards, blue blood spurting all over the floor from a mutilated stump. The detached foot had been sent skittering several feet away from sheer force.</p><p>Hannah, however, hadn't fared as well as the troll from her own close range explosion spell: she'd been slammed back into the barrier once again. Her robes were tattered and burned, hanging by little shreds - mostly gone. Her <em>body</em> was in a similar state. It was much more grisly compared with her clothing.</p><p>She lay awkwardly on her side, taking gasping, uneven breaths, her hand jerking and twitching. One eye was open wide - the other wasn't even there anymore. It was a mess of gore and sizzling smoke from charred bone and flesh.</p><p>Beside Harry, Ron let out a groan. "Really? That girl stole <em>our</em> strategy! She had to have been eavesdropping on us - bloody rude of her, is what that is..."</p><p>Harry said nothing, too keenly focused on the girl in a life or death situation.</p><p>Hannah lifted her head and gazed at the teachers - at Professor McGonagall. Her lips trembled. "I- w-won, right?"</p><p>Professor McGonagall shook her head, gesturing. "Your troll is still alive, if I'm not mistaken."</p><p>Hannah looked utterly betrayed - and panicked.</p><p>The troll was righting itself on the floor, roaring and raging from its injury. It managed to climb to its feet again, but then it fell down with a heavy crash. Flat on its face, it looked at Hannah. It pushed itself up again, on hands and knees, and dragged its club around for an off-kilter swing.</p><p>Hannah thrust her wand hastily. "STUPIFY, STUPIFY, STUPIFY, STUPIFY, STUPIFY!"</p><p>Red light after red light struck the troll; the monster slowed and jerked with each hit, but it was still very much moving.</p><p>On the other hand, it had dropped its club, and now seemed to be opting for tearing Hannah apart by hand; it lunged for her, arms outstretched.</p><p>Hannah was snatched up in both hands, lifted up off the floor and <em>squeezed</em>. She shrieked and thrashed. Eyes bulging, mouth agape, tears spilling. Loud cracking noises bursting in the hall.</p><p>Her ringing screams just grew louder and more high pitched, worse and worse to Harry's ears.</p><p>He thought desperately and pityingly, that at some point she had to just pass out from it all. At least then it'd be...</p><p>Hannah suddenly slumped in the troll's grasp, arms hanging limply.</p><p>Everyone fell silent, and the professors were moving for the barrier with actual alarm on their faces.</p><p>The troll relaxed its grip, cocking its head this way and that, and frowning at Hannah's limp form. Like a dog who had used up a nice toy, and was a bit put out about it. It peered at her, moving its head forward to scrutinize her.</p><p>Suddenly Hannah whipped up, straight-backed, her wand aimed right at the troll's left eye. "BOMBARDA!"</p><p>The spell struck home, and the troll's face exploded in a mess of gore - it blew right open!</p><p>The troll fell backwards, taking Hannah with it.</p><p>The professors entered the arena and approached swiftly, using their own wands to remove Hannah from the troll's dead hands.</p><p>Hannah was covered in blood and tissue, and brain matter. There was a large, sharp shard of troll bone - six feet long, maybe - that was embedded right through her left shoulder. A smaller one, maybe two or three feet, had impaled her just above her right breast.</p><p>The professors conjured up a stretcher to lay the girl on, moving her off to the side even as they worked on her; little bursts of light, flashes of words and numbers in the air, pulsing colors that arose from the girl's wounds...</p><p>Professor McGonagall strode over to Hannah's side, and gazed down at her with a genuine smile. "A good performance, Miss Abbott. I look forward to having you in my classes."</p><p>Hannah gave the professor a weak nod, a shaky little smile. Her wand was still held tight in her hand.</p><p>"Truly splendid," Dumbledore spoke, clapping once. "You will be a most welcome sight in these walls, my dear! Severus, Poppy - if you'd see her to the hospital wing?"</p><p>Hannah was levitated out of the hall on her stretcher.</p><p>McGonagall turned back to face the first years once more. Her scroll was unfurled. "The next to be tested will be Ms. Alesha." Her eyes fell on a blue-skinned, blue-haired, extremely beautiful girl near the front, who was standing tall with her chin raised - proud and true. "We'd ask you to wait just a moment while the arena is prepared for you."</p><p>Harry's eyes strayed, watching several levitating Hannah's troll corpse out of the arena. They sent it zooming back behind the teacher's table, through a door that magically expanded to allow the troll's body to pass through it. The mages followed it on through the door. There was silence and waiting for a good minute, until they emerged again with another troll being levitated - this one very much alive, but unconscious. The live troll was placed into the arena, in the mess of blood and gore of its fallen brethren. Harry imagined it wasn't going to be too happy about that.</p><p>The blue girl, Alesha, she simply strode right into the arena. No hesitating, no fear - nothing there at all. Just a little smirk on sparkling lips, and a glistening to her deep blue eyes behind long eyelashes.</p><p>Her troll awoke. It laid immediate eyes on the mess of gore around it - inhaled it through short nostrils. And then it was up and furious, raging and roaring, stomping for Alesha.</p><p>Alesha just stood there, a hand on a hip. Her other hand was running through long, shimmering dark blue hair's tresses.</p><p>The troll reached for her-</p><p>Alesha's lips spread, and her mouth opened wide.</p><p>And she screamed.</p><p>No, not screaming - WAILING!</p><p>It was echoing all around the hall, everywhere at once, overwhelmingly loud, piercing, drilling into Harry's skull, crashing through his body in waves that shook his insides, causing twisting, bursting pain!</p><p>Alesha's mouth just kept getting wider - it had to be a full <em>foot</em> wide, gaping open! Skin and bone stretching impossibly (well, impossibly without magic).</p><p>Her wailing intensified, higher and higher, shrill needles stabbing every centimeter of skin, miniature explosions bursting in every single part of Harry's innards-</p><p>There was a massive <strong><em>POP</em></strong>, and the troll's entire being just exploded. Huge chunks flew in all directions, blood splattered the inside of the barrier like buckets of paint thrown at a wall.</p><p>And there was Alesha, striding right out of the arena, head held high as ever, a smirk permanently placed on her lips.</p><p>"Very well done - if you'd come over here to wait." McGonagall indicated the left-hand side of the hall, where Hannah had once been.</p><p>Alesha gave a little nod and sauntered her way to the side of the hall, where she promptly spun on a heel and leaned back against the wall with her arms crossed.</p><p>Harry watched some more amazing things from his fellow students. The nonhuman ones, anyways.</p><p>Dragons who burned and clawed. Griffins that flew and attacked the face. Zheng that ensnared with long many tails that grew in length. The sphinx who used a great strength to tackle her troll and choke it to death with her strong tail! A demon that was fast and burst with dark fires. An orc who fought and bludgeoned her troll head-on with a spiky mace that exploded with magical energy on every impact, laughing guttural and mirthful laughs.</p><p>The giant serpents that constricted and poisoned with venom bites.</p><p>A shocking shapeshifting being who became a troll themself and fought hand to hand!</p><p>The mermaid that drowned hers with a powerful cascade of water down its throat.</p><p>The fairy that showered dusty particles on a troll that caused it to hit the floor paralyzed, to convulse and moan as its body flaked apart gruesomely.</p><p>The tattered, cloaked being that made the troll fall back on its rear and curl up in a twitching, crying ball just by drifting into the arena. And then how it had kissed the troll, and it had just...gone slack and still. Save for shallow, minute breathing.</p><p>The entire hall collectively had stopped breathing for the duration of <em>that</em> one's test.</p><p>But what about Harry's own impending time in the arena?</p><p>Harry was just Harry, just a boy. A muggle raised one at that! How was he meant to beat a troll? It seemed all the nonhumans had inborn advantages and abilities that he - that all the humans - just plain lacked.</p><p>They had a superhuman durability and general magic, yes, but harry knew even that wouldn't do <em>him</em> any good. He wasn't mage raised! Not like Hannah; He didn't have any real experience with magic, he hadn't learned anything yet. If he'd grown up in this world with his parents, he thought that wouldn't be an issue. Like Hannah hadn't had an issue - like <em>Ron</em> likely would have no issue.</p><p>Ron was certainly looking a lot more confident than either Harry or that Granger girl from the train (who'd been so cocky and stuck-up; she was a quivering, petrified mess right now!). He was muttering foreign words and giving his wand little flicks and swishes beside him, his eyes locked on the arena. But Harry still saw a great deal of anxiety there, all the same.</p><p>
  <em>You will find a way to survive and succeed on your own...</em>
</p><p>Harry had to find that way.</p><p>He tried to remember Ron's advice, the spell, the strategy.</p><p>"Potter, Harry!"</p><p>And all of that information was just gone from his head.</p>
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